At the branches, the following degrees are projected to be awarded: UNM-Gallup, 76 associate degrees and 63 certificates; at Los Alamos, 17 associate degrees and 2 certificates; at Taos, 20 associate degrees and 11 certificates; and at Valencia, 47 associate degrees and 27 certificates.

“As we honor your accomplishments as graduates of The University of New Mexico, we are celebrating your endless possibilities. Great universities foster discovery in every discipline,” said UNM President Garnett S. Stokes. “At UNM, we wish to give our graduates the courage and wisdom to ask challenging questions and the perseverance and skill to discover the answers. As you look ahead, I hope you will apply that spirit of inquiry in all aspects of your life.”

She successfully ran for a position on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan court where she served for 15 years including 11 years as the court’s chief judge. Prior, she served nine years of practice in both the public and private sectors.

Nakamura graduated from UNM with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983 and obtained her Juris Doctorate from the UNM School of Law in 1989.

At the ceremony, vocalist Jose Carrillo will sing the national anthem. Carrillo, a professional mariachi musician since 1995, has been an instructor at the Albuquerque Mariachi Spectacular conference for the last 18 years. In 2013, he enrolled at UNM and obtained his GED from UNM’s High School Equivalency Program (HEP). Carrillo is a true testament that it is never to late to achieve goals in life.

In addition to the main commencement ceremony, individual departments will host their own graduation ceremonies. For a complete schedule of the ceremonies, department or school/college convocations, as well as additional commencement information, visit Fall 2018 Graduation Ceremonies.